


Agni in his Eyes and Tui in her Hands

by El_ephants



Series: Arsonist's Lullaby [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Character Study, Firebending & Firebenders, Implied imprisonment, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Iroh Knows Things, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, Waterbending & Waterbenders, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, a lot of metaphors, also very little editing, ambiguous recovery, at all, because it isn't really clear, even more metaphors, lead by characters, my bad - Freeform, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-03
Updated: 2019-02-03
Packaged: 2019-10-21 20:11:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17649101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/El_ephants/pseuds/El_ephants
Summary: "But his eyes, though of the colors of his people, shown gold in Agni’s light and danced in the set of the sun.…He knew if La had made a home in her eyes, then Tui had taken her hands."





	Agni in his Eyes and Tui in her Hands

**Author's Note:**

> there are probably a SHITLOAD of mistakes. I am sorry in advance. please tell me so I can correct it.

The first time she saw him, she was only four months free and scared of her own shadow. The red of his armor, the points of his ship, the anger in his voice, the black of his hair.. It all screamed Fire Nation. But his eyes, though of the colors of his people, shown gold in Agni’s light and danced in the set of the sun. This boy, who had to be her age, had Agni in his eyes and flowers in his heart. He was loud and angry and envious and no doubt dangerous, just like his gift, and when he first saw her staring wide eyed at him and his ridiculous ponytail, he’d snarled so viciously she’d flinched away and bowed her head, afraid of the flaming snakes that were sure to strike. He’d grown quiet then, seeming to recognize her fear for what it was and allowed his elder to chew him out for his behaviour.

The other, the elder, with long greying hair and a beard smiled at her with fire in his eyes and talked her into meeting his burning gaze. He asked her for tea and she told him, as respectfully as possible  _ “I was never taught to make tea, sir. I know this is an unacceptable excuse, but I’m a quick study if you could tell me how _ . _ ” _

The man had frowned with his eyes, his warm smile staying on his lips, and glanced at her arms, covered in dirty Earth Kingdom wraps meant to hide what lay beneath, and rephrased his question.  _ “Would you like some tea, dear child?” _

The boy with Agni in his eyes had seemed upset -- or maybe angry? -- by the situation, but  _ well _ she had not eaten in two days and anything would help.

**~** **< <>>** **~** **< <>>** **~** **< <>>** **~**

The man was General Iroh, a kind old man who could make to best tea she’d ever tasted and refused to let her leave until she had dinner.

The boy was Prince Zuko and Kita didn’t know what to do about him. He was  _ just like the fire he bent _ . 

He was beautiful in his angular features and soft looking hair and eyes like liquid gold. 

He was warm in his offer for her to stay, in his voice like honey and his softened demeanor towards her ( _ Iroh had explained to his nephew very carefully how the Fire Nation treats prisoners of war. “She’s Water Tribe, Prince Zuko, probably of noble birth. She was probably taken for ransom and forgotten about. You mustn’t get angry with her, my nephew, she hasn’t known freedom long.” _ ). Not to mention with Agni’s gift to his children he gave them an internal heat so their abilities couldn't burn them from the inside out. He was literally warm.

He was artful in his practice of firebending and sword fighting, gentle when asking her to spar, and even more so with helping her relearn her katas and teaching her adapted firebending ones. 

He was envious of the commanders with the resources he needed and the respect he craved. 

He was angry in his grief over his disfigured face and the spirits’ path for him and nearly anything under the sun. 

He was dangerous in every sense of the word. In the way he prowled the ship like a panther-lion ready to pounce. In the way he kept his swords sharp enough to break skin at the slightest contact and kept his skills sharper. In his anger-fueled method of living and breathing.

Zuko was just like fire, but at the same time, the opposite.

**~** **< <>>** **~** **< <>>** **~** **< <>>** **~**

Immediately, she had caught his eye. Staring in almost slack-jawed fear as he had raged at his Lieutenant for pulling to shore. Logically, he had known they needed to make port, but at that rate, he’d never find the avatar. Perhaps that is why he made the decision to snap at the girl.

Her shoulders had jumped with her full bodied flinch and she’d bowed her head like the skittish servants forced to care for his sister. 

She was afraid. Of him. 

Zuko felt sick.

She was filthy and definitely beneath him, but he didn’t want her  _ afraid to look at him _ . In his quiet contemplation, he wondered if it was because he was Fire Nation. He understood fear of fire, his father saw to that thoroughly. It was a full year since the incident and yet he still had to fight to contain the unbridled panic his body went into during a firebending lesson.

Uncle was chewing him out for yelling at the peasant. Then, Uncle asked her to tea and she told them she didn’t know how to make it. Zuko nearly facepalmed, but the implications of her words and tone stilled him. His uncle had the same reaction, but kept open and polite and rephrased himself.

The girl accepted, still looking unsure and a little frightened. Uncle made introductions and they learned her name was Kita. “A beautiful name,” Uncle said, “what does it mean?”

“It means North in my culture,” she’d timidly replied with a blush on her tan cheeks.

Uncle asked him for help getting dinner, despite Kita’s protests (“nonsense, you’re much too thin!”). Zuko knew this was just an excuse to get him alone, as the cook would bring dinner when it was ready. Out in the hall, Uncle had looked at him sternly and told him very slowly, “you need to understand something, Nephew. Our countrymen are not kind with their prisoners, especially political ones they can extort. She’s Water Tribe, Prince Zuko, probably of noble birth. She was probably taken for ransom and forgotten about. You mustn’t get angry with her, my nephew, she hasn’t known freedom long.”

“She’s just staying for dinner, though, Uncle.” Iroh had remained silent at that and Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose. “Uncle, we can’t afford any hangups. We  _ must _ find the avatar.”

Iroh raised an eyebrow at that, “so you wish to leave her to wander the Earth Kingdom wilds confused and alone?”

Zuko glared at his uncle before he sighed heavily and crossed his arms. “Fine. But she’s  _ your _ responsibility.”

And so, Iroh asked the girl to stay.

**~** **< <>>** **~** **< <>>** **~** **< <>>** **~**

The first time Kita bent in front of them a week after she arrived was an unmitigated disaster. A jerk of her hand, a little splash of water, and her tan cheeks paled and she flung herself under the table.

“I’m sorry, it was an accident. I won’t do it again. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

Zuko didn’t know what the hell to do, so he sat on the floor right by the table and point blank demanded, “why didn’t you tell me you could bend?”

This question had, of course, set her off down a spiral of even more apologies and a lot of crying. Again, Zuko didn’t know what the hell to do, so he started talking, something he was not very good at. He just rambled on about different katas and types of swords and the very specific way he plays tsungi horn that makes it sound  _ good _ . He rambled about Master Piandao and his uncle and his mother and the turtleduck pond in the palace.

His choppy story telling seemed to calm her down into actually  _ breathing _ and listening to his words.

“What’s a turtleduck?”

Zuko had startled, not expecting her to speak. “Turtleducks are.. well, they’re really cute and.. I’m not good at this.”

“Should I ask General Iroh about them then?”

Zuko shrugged, “probably.”

**~** **< <>>** **~** **< <>>** **~** **< <>>** **~**

Zuko had quickly realized, as the months wore on and Uncle managed to convince Kita that she would be a wonderful help in the infirmary, that the Tribeswoman was like the ocean.

As she started to open up to them, there was no end to her depths. She was a walking trench of mystery, yearning to be explored. 

Her attitude only rose in fleeting moments like the tide, only to recede once the moment was over. 

If she so wished, Kita could capsize his little ship with ease. She was fierce and demanding and the longer she was them, the more she showed her true colors, just as the water they sailed across. 

She was also gentle and kind, timid in the early months of their acquaintance, with darkness in her past lurking under the surface. 

Kita was quiet most days, unsure of how to speak in a normal manner perhaps or maybe just not one for words. She was quiet, but her eyes always looked so loud, like there were thoughts running through her head and memories thrashing for attention and a hundred different things she needed to do but she was stuck in one place. Zuko had swam with panda-dolphins once. It was quiet above the surface, but once he got his head under water, the panda-dolphins were chattering and squeaking and clicking. Kita’s quiet days reminded him of the big, air-breathing fish.

And her  _ eyes _ .  _ Agni _ , her eyes were  _ the _ bluest blue he’d ever seen. They looked as though the sky and ocean met in her eyes and stayed if only to gift her their colors. He knew if La had made a home in her eyes, then Tui had taken her hands. Kita always moved with a grace and fluidity that could surely only come from a waterbender. 

When they sparred, only agreeing to nearly a year after she joined their crew, she moved like the water, smooth and fluid, but at times erratic and deadly.

But her eyes were always what he thought of when he thought of the ocean.

 

**Author's Note:**

> please review, comments are welcome and feed the soul-sucking demon that lives in my closet. thanks.


End file.
